Getty Patrick Beverley, Clippers and Stephen Curry, Warriors
Turns out, maybe some around the NBA did not enjoy the run that the Warriors had in the last five years—five trips to the Finals, three championships—quite as much as folks in the Bay Area did, especially not after the arrival of Kevin Durant.
As Golden State has tumbled out to an 0-2 start, plenty are piling on to revel in the team’s misfortune. Even Warriors big man Draymond Green was not particularly happy with how his team has carried itself.
“It sucks,” he told reporters. “It sucks pretty bad. … I didn’t think we would be getting our ass kicked like this. … Our defense right now is nonexistent. Yeah, I don’t even think we know what defense is right now. The offense sucks because we’re playing against a set defense right now. I don’t know anybody who can play against a set defense every play but we get no transition opportunities because we don’t get stops.
“The reality is, we f—ing suck right now. Hopefully we’ll get better. We’ll continue working at it and trying to get better. But we’re just not that good right now.”
It’s only two games, but the Warriors currently rank 24th in offensive rating and last in defensive rating, at 124.3 points per 100 possessions. That’s well behind the 29th-ranked team, the Hornets, at 117.3. All-Star guard Stephen Curry, expected to leap back into MVP form with the departure of Durant, has made only 39.5 percent of his shots and 20.0 percent of his 3-pointers.
Others have certainly noticed the Warriors’ tough times. There was this clever take:
Retired center Channing Frye, who played for the Cavaliers teams that faced Golden State in 2016 and 17, chimed in on Twitter with some sympathy and, perhaps, a bit of what appeared to be sarcasm:
Listen, i hate on the warriors all day everyday, but honestly them getting beat down like this all season isn’t fun. Of course this isn’t a championship team but nobody like watching beat downs like that all year.
What Patrick Beverley Said to Stephen Curry
Last week, too, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley was captured on video taunting the crowd at the Chase Center, the new $1.4 billion arena the Warriors have opened in San Francisco, for leaving the game early during L.A.’s blowout win.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey,” Beverley shouted. “Where you all going? Where you all going?”
And Beverley hounded Curry throughout the game. With 1:28 to play in the second quarter, Beverley forced Curry into a turnover, turned and jawed at the Golden State bench. Beverley then squared off with Curry at the other end of the floor and began talking trash.
“You had the last five years,” Beverley told Curry, according to a source. “The next five years are mine.”
To that, Curry laughed and replied, “Aren’t you 31?”
Indeed, both Curry and Beverley are 31 and have a long history together—the two have been friends since they were roommates at various camps when they were teenagers, including the camps hosted by Paul Pierce and LeBron James.
Last year during the playoffs, Beverley explained on a podcast hosted by former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles that he does not talk to Curry during games.
“I ain’t gonna go out there and talk trash to Steph Curry,” he said. “Steph Curry gets 30 shots a game. Some people you pick your battles with. Steph Curry see me (not talking) and then he’s like, ‘Oh, what’s up with Pat? Oh, he locked in.’”
But that has apparently changed. Much has changed for these Warriors, in fact. As coach Steve Kerr put it after the opener, “This is the reality.” So far, it’s been rough.
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